A 1956 AC Aceca, ‘130 BPB’, once owned by the famous photographer Louis Klemantaski, will be auctioned at Brooklands on March 3.

Klemantaski is well known for his wonderful b/w and colour work in the 1950s, and was also famous for accompanying - as a navigating passenger - top-class drivers on five Mille Miglias. His photography of Peter Collins, either driving a Ferrari or an Aston Martin, is some of the finest work of the genre, truly capturing the flavour of distinctly dangerous 1950s road-racing.

His photographic career had started at Brooklands in the 1930s and it’s a nice coincidence that the famous Weybridge track will be the venue when one of his road cars, the 1956 AC Aceca, is offered for auction by Historics this March.

The dark blue coupé has benefited from “over £100,000... spent in a no-expense-spared restoration and upgrade to competition set-up by Nigel Dawes and Roger Dowson at Silverstone”, so Historics tell us. It’s powered by a “fresh” Greg Margetts Ford Zephyr Ruddspeed 2.6-litre engine and comes with an FIA Technical Passport.

The estimate of £75,000 - £90,000 is a not unreasonable one for a “competition ready”, historically important car.

For further information, see www.historics.co.uk.

Text: Steve Wakefield
Photos: Historics